Keep an eye on Kolb if lockout is halted

When a ruling comes down early next month on whether the NFL owners are allowed to continue with their lockout and suspension of football operations, the Eagle to watch most intently obviously is quarterback Kevin Kolb.

If the owners are forced to resume normal offseason functions under the old collective bargaining agreement, at least until they can get the ruling reversed with an appeal, it likely would clear the way for a flurry of maneuvers, including a blockbuster trade involving Kolb before the NFL Draft.

According to Peter King of Sports Illustrated, coach Andy Reid already has received an offer of a first-round pick for Kolb. The only problem, of course, is that no trades are allowed until a new deal is struck or the owners are forced to open up shop again under terms of the expired CBA.

Whether this leak is real or strategic on the Eagles' part in order to drive up Kolb's trade value doesn't really matter. General manager Howie Roseman's cell phone is on, that's for sure.

And for the record, King wrote in his column that "I'd trade a very high draft pick to acquire Kolb instead of drafting one of the quarterbacks available this year. I'd want to reduce the risk of making a mistake high in the draft by taking the safe guy with ability? Kolb's 26. He's a coach's son. He's had some struggles running the Eagles offense in his seven career starts, but I saw him ruin the soon-to-be Super Bowl champion Saints with a 391-yard strafing in 2009; he played well enough to rout the playoff-bound Falcons and throw for 326 yards last season."

Read the whole report, which also includes some interesting news about Eagles starting quarterback Michael Vick's recent visit to a Florida prison, here.